Illinois Taskforce on Employment and Economic Opportunities for People with Disabilities (EEOPD)
Meeting Minutes
August 20, 2025
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Chicago Location: 4th Floor Springfield Room
555 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60661
Springfield Location: 3rd Floor Executive Conference Room
100 South Grand Avenue, East, Springfield, Illinois 62762
WELCOME The meeting was called to order by Co-Chair Ryan Croke at 1:00 p.m. Roll call was conducted, and quorum was established.
ROLL CALL Members Present in Chicago: LaMetrice Lane, Rahnee Patrick
Members Present in Springfield: None present
Guests Present in Springfield: Kimberly Mercer-Schleider, Cheryl Jansen
Staff Present: Barbara Hobrock, Tereta Love-Rutherford
Members Present via WebEx: Katie Blank, Brion Brooks, Kathy Carmody, Joshua Evans, Marilyn Green, Mo Kahn, Ben Lumicao, Hugo Saltijeral, Chris Bond, Casey Burke, Melissa Cory, Ryan Croke, Anna D'Ascenzo, Mariel Hamer-Sinclair, Lori Harrison, Nkechi Onquameze
Guests Present via WebEx: Danielle Geracaris, Elizabeth Gonzalez, Kraig Kistinger, Ben Schatzel, Lore Baker, Rebecca Clark, Shelly Richardson, Lisa Mills, Duane Schumate, Rachel Pollock, Angela Skaar, Gary Arnold
Members Absent: Brittney Godwin, Shea Haury, Phi Milsk, Patricia Walters, Ahlam Jbara, Lisa Jones, Darius McKinney, Rafael Rivera, Anthony Vaughn, Alex Weidenhamer
APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion to approve the June 25, 2025 special meeting minutes was made by Rahnee Patrick and seconded by Hugo Saltijeral. Motion carried unanimously with no opposition.
WORKGROUP UPDATES Dignity in Pay (DIP) Workgroup: Kim Mercer-Schleider reported activity will resume after a brief pause following completion of the DIP Multi-Year Plan. Communications will be sent regarding next steps, opportunities to join the workgroup, and upcoming meetings. ICDD secured an additional year of project management support. Rebecca Clark will provide ongoing coordination and communications.
Provider Workgroup: Casey Burke shared that the group has met four times in 2025, with discussions now shifting toward formalizing recommendations. Key concern: transportation continues to be a primary barrier for providers and individuals. Members stressed long delays for vehicles and difficulty accessing communities. Transition planning and community integration were also discussed.
Transition Workgroup: Mariel Hamer-Sinclair reported that the Workgroup received the DIP Multi-Year Plan for review, with emphasis on transition-related data and recommendations. A subgroup is still being formed to develop educational material on vocational rehabilitation, education, and training initiatives. This work will be done in partnership with DRS. Upcoming discussions will include federal changes to special education and their potential impacts.
Legislative Workgroup: Joshua Evans reported a recent meeting to reestablish regular convenings. The committee plans to meet in September to identify priorities, including whether further legislative recommendations are needed beyond those in the DIP MYP.
Employer Workgroup: Ben Lumicao reported no updates.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION FROM IL NEON CORE STATE SUBJECT MATTER EXPECTS Duane Schumate, Rachel Pollack, and Lisa Mills of the NEON Core Group presented on national best practices and recommendations to improve disability employment outcomes. Recommendations focused on data collection and performance metrics, information exchange, capacity building, service model expansion, funding alignment, benefits navigation, and business engagement. Members discussed how to prioritize recommendations, explore models from other states, and align with Illinois' DIP implementation. Several members noted the importance of transportation, benefits navigation, and ensuring person-centered approaches to end 14(c).
PUBLIC COMMENT Shelly Richardson (SILC) urged the task force to create a dedicated transportation working group. She also invited members to attend SILC's annual transportation meeting (Sept. 3) virtually or in person.
Ryan Croke emphasized the need to identify specific communities where transportation is a barrier. Members and providers were encouraged to send both anecdotal and formal information to DHS and task force staff to build an inventory of transportation gaps.
NEXT MEETING The next scheduled meeting will be held on December 17, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. Special meetings may be called as needed.
ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn was made by Rahnee Patrick and seconded by LaMetrice Lane. Motion through roll call carried unanimously, and the meeting adjourned at approximately 1:58 p.m.
